I wasted a lifetime believing God! By T.D. Jakes

I wasted a lifetime believing God! By T.D. Jakes Ministries/The Potter's House on Monday, February 7, 2011 at 9:17pm
I thought I would just "keep it real" with you and share my innermost thoughts. If you ever felt like faith was a waste, let me be honest with you and tell you what I really think!

“My faith in God in Jesus name…..lost me my job of 11years last year! All my life i tried to live good……& it was in vain. I am ashamed of believing in the father who i trusted deeply…. Most of what i ever needed i never really got, no matter what or how i asked… God is here for his lost children of israel and not for all! I wasted a lifetime believing in God, a God who obviously hated me & forsook me when i was young…. He never rewarded me, kept me encouraged or helped much… Out of habit i may always fear him…

What you just read was an excerpt of a post that I received today on Facebook. Her phrase, “I wasted a lifetime believing in God” – I was so moved by what I read that I had to not only respond, but in the interest of wondering if there are others who feel this way, I wanted to share it. Not to put Sally’s situation on blast, as my youngest son would say, but with the hope that it may encourage someone else who might be at the end of their rope with similar thoughts.

I pray this post speaks to your heart and helps us all to hold onto the precious gift of faith. Please read below and find a slightly edited version of my response for your benefit. I changed the name of the reader to protect her privacy. In the interest of full disclosure, I fully understand what it is like to lose property and jobs. I have been unemployed, run out of unemployment and was nearly homeless. I am acutely aware of how painful it is to find your lifestyle radically changed.

Sally,
I sense your pain and understand your disappointment. Like many people you have bought into an ideal that says if you love God and serve Him, he pays you back with positive responses. When you did what you thought was right and things went awry, you felt cheated. I understand that…I really understand that. However, the premise that you are standing on is flawed. Bad things do happen to good people. The bible is clear about that. Compared to the disciples who were crucified for Him, burned, skinned alive and beheaded, our idea of suffering and persecution is lost jobs, or He didn’t give me what I asked for, and perhaps some other deeply painful experiences.


While I certainly don’t want to minimize the misery we face, I do want to put them in biblical context. The bible is open about suffering but not the kind we are seeing in the headlines resulting from economic crunches. To be sure, many Americans of all types are suffering real hardship!

Still we haven’t been martyred like the disciples were, or like other Christians still are around the world. They DIED in FAITH! They weren’t disappointed because God didn’t deliver them what they wanted, when they wanted it. They “counted it all joy” when called on to suffer.


Those of us who continue in the faith do so in spite of deep pain, buried children or spouses, some are on ventilators, and others dialysis! We don’t serve God in a “let’s make a deal” sort of way! Rather God would say, “deal or no deal”. He doesn’t negotiate under terroristic threat of the loss of faith! Actually, our faith is a gift from God through which we have eternal life, which will last a lot longer than unemployment, physical infirmities and childhood disappointments!

I am not asking you to reconsider your loss of faith. Faith isn’t a decision, it is a gift. It results from God revealing His son Jesus to you! I pray that revelation comes with real relationships and not just religion. Like all relationships, we go through storms but we go through them with God being with us! His purpose in redemption is for eternal life! Like a flight attendant who is there primarily for your safety and secondarily your comfort, salvation is primarily for eternal life and secondarily for the benefits and blessings we often misappropriate their significance.

One final thing, if you weren’t seeking Christ, you wouldn’t have sent me the note. There is a deep hunger in your soul that your current absence of faith hasn’t filled! Try approaching God with truth. Tell Him you are hurt, disillusioned and disappointed, but you miss the joy and peace that comes from having Him in your heart!

He misses you too and He loves you unconditionally. If you draw nigh to Him, He will draw nigh to you! I wrote this because I care too much for you not to write an honest response to such a pain filled remark. May God bless you on your journey. I know what it is to hurt so bad that you rationalize away the existence of God. But faith isn’t rational, it’s spiritual! I found my way to His mercy seat. There is still room for YOU!

In compassionate, care and concern,
Bishop Jakes